Brake Drum Balance Weight - Tire Valve Stem

[fred89sp]

I had a recent experience with my 89SP which may be of interest.

I thought I had heard an intermittent clanking noise coming from the
right front wheel that sounded like a rock in the hubcap. I found
nothing when I removed the cap and the wheel seemed tight. It only
happened when rolling slowly.

On the outbound leg of my last trip I noted a vibration at 70+ MPH
which I thought might be an out of balance tire. I run Equal in my
relatively new Michelin XZ2 tires so I could not understand why a tire
would be out of balance. Stopped to check tires and all seemed in
order. I continued on my way and either became accustomed to the
vibration or it diminished.

While stuck in stop-and-go traffic in Queens, New York I heard the
noise which was now constant when rolling slowly. Also had plenty of
opportunity to hear the noise.

On return home I took it to the local spring shop that deals with
chassis maintenance. The balancing weight on the original (1989)
brake drum had broken loose from its weld, was trapped between the
drum and the wheel and was the cause of the noise. They R&R the wheel
and welded the weight back on. They said this was not the first time
they had seen this.

In addition to dinging up the rim the weight had beaten up the valve
stem and valve cap to the point that the tire valve would have leaked
but for the presence of the valve cap. It certainly had the potential
to hit the valve stem hard enough to break it off but I was lucky.

Depending on where the weight happened to be when I got underway the
balance changed and with it the amount of vibration.

If you shine a flashlight through the holes in the rim and you can see
the weight on the front drum. The rears are more difficult. On
walk-arrounds, eyeball the valve stems to check for bends. Once again
more difficult on the rears.

Moral of the story; when a BlueBird speaks you better listen and not
quit trying to understand what it is telling you.